3 Indian players who shouldn't be in the ODI mix ahead of the 2023 World Cup
Team India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies featured a few surprises.
Big names like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah will continue to spend time on the sidelines. Suryakumar Yadav retained his place in the side despite an indifferent run of form in the 50-over format, while Umran Malik and Ruturaj Gaikwad were other notable inclusions.
While the selectors' thinking regarding these names is relatively clear, there were other players who arguably shouldn't be in the picture, with better options readily available.
India's ODI squad for the West Indies series: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.
Here are three Indian players who shouldn't be in the ODI mix in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup.
#3 Mukesh Kumar
Mukesh Kumar is a quality red-ball bowler, but as things currently stand, he arguably shouldn't be anywhere near the limited-overs sides. The fast bowler has unimpressive numbers in both white-ball formats and hasn't come up with any telling performances at the Indian Premier League (IPL) level either.
The absence of several first-choice stars, including Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, has paved the way for Mukesh's inclusion in India's ODI squad for the West Indies tour. However, once a few of these names return, it would be rather silly to keep the Bengal pacer in the side.
Even if Mukesh gets an opportunity to make a mark against the Windies, he shouldn't be in India's plans for the 2023 World Cup.
#2 Jaydev Unadkat
Jaydev Unadkat is another player on this list who has terrific red-ball numbers. Like Mukesh, though, he isn't the most reliable limited-overs bowler. The Men in Blue have better, younger, more versatile options in the shorter formats.
Unadkat's primary selling point is the fact that he's a left-armer, but India have Arshdeep Singh to perform that role. Arshdeep can swing the new ball both ways and also has several variations in his locker.
Although the youngster hasn't been able to make a splash in the ODI format thus far, the signs indicate that he will be a force to contend with if things click.
Unadkat, who averages close to 30 over the course of 116 List A matches, might not be of great value to India in the lead-up to and during the 2023 World Cup.
#1 Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan finds himself in India's ODI squad for the West Indies tour and might even be their primary keeper. That is only because the Men in Blue's two first-choice options, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, are out of action at the moment.
While Pant definitely won't make the grade for the World Cup, Rahul should recover in time, although he will probably be short of match practice. If Rohit Sharma and Co. want another wicket-keeping option in the squad, they could turn to Sanju Samson, who has put on some encouraging performances in international cricket of late.
With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill establishing themselves as the opening pair, Kishan won't be needed at the top and doesn't inspire much confidence in the middle order. Samson and Rahul should ideally be ahead of the southpaw in the pecking order.